| The Coca-Cola operation in India has been the
subject of a variety of erroneous allegations recently and this is intended
to clarify the facts regarding our business there.
Recent Media Reports regarding the Coca-Cola plant in Kerala
We are greatly concerned by the allegations raised in recent media reports
concerning environmental practices at our plant in Palakkad, Kerala, Southern
India. Here are the facts:
1. Bio-solids
- The 'sludge' or bio-solid is the end result of the waste water and
water treatment processes and is made up of organic and inorganic material.
The use of bio-solids as a soil amendment is not an uncommon practice
around the world and within the Coca-Cola system, including in the US.
We require that all of our plants, including in India, monitor generation,
composition and management of the bio-solids that are a byproduct of
our manufacturing operations.
- For the avoidance of doubt, we have suspended land application and
other disposal of the bio-solids until standard testing protocols are
agreed and accepted by all constituents, and reliable analytical results
are available for review.
- We are also talking to the Indian central government to ensure that
the issue of a uniform and consistent national regulatory framework
is given the full review that it deserves.
- Furthermore, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, in a detailed
study, concluded that the concentration of cadmium and other heavy metals
in the bio-solids are below prescribed limits and, therefore, are not
considered hazardous.
2. Water resources
As you may know, it has also been alleged that Coca-Cola India's bottling
plant in Kerala,has been misusing local water resources. These allegations
are false. Neighboring communities, tribal leaders, non-government organizations
(NGOs), environmental scientists and government officials have repeatedly
rejected the protestors' allegations as totally groundless.
Here are the facts:
- Since the Kerala plant was built in 2000, Coca-Cola India
has complied and continues to comply with all Federal and State laws
and regulations in India. We respect and follow local laws.
- In October 2002, Dr. R.N. Athvale, Emeritus scientist at the National
Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad, India, stated in his report:
"There is no field evidence of overexploitation of the groundwater
reserves in the plant area." He added that any aquifer depletion
cannot be attributed to the water extraction in the plant area. A report
from the local Palakkad District Environmental Protection Council and
Guidance Society in June 2002 concluded: "We declare that there
is no environment harassment to the public by the factory at any level."
- In the past two years, annual rainfall in Kerala decreased by about
60 percent.
- The bottler has installed an advanced rainfall harvesting technology
to help recharge the area's groundwater reserves. We've joined with
NGOs, tribal leaders and government officials to share the technology
and equipment with neighboring villages. To supplement existing water
sources, we also dug a bore well for the neighboring village, which
we continue to supply with two tankers of fresh water daily.
- The water from the factory's seven standard-depth bore wells that
is not used in making products is put to secondary applications or recycled
back into the ground, using Government-compliant irrigation techniques.
- The technology our wastewater treatment plant uses is among the most
advanced in the world. The technologies are also equivalent to most
Coca-Cola bottling plants in the United States and Europe.
Further, our effluents comply with standards and norms set by the Kerala
State Pollution Control Board. We constantly monitor the quality of
the effluents to prevent pollution.
- The latest detailed investigation just released by the Kerala State
Groundwater Department has rejected the allegation that one of the reasons
for water shortage in the area is 'overexploitation' by the plant and
instead points to "poor rainfall during the last few years"
as "an important reason for the low water level in the open wells
in the area."
- By rapidly expanding the capacity of our rain water harvesting technology
at this plant, our aim is to become a net contributor to water in the
area by the end of 2004. In other words, our plant will re-charge several
times more water to the aquifer than it uses.
Coca-Cola India shares the aspirations of the people
of Kerala to spur economic growth and create more local jobs. Since
investing in Kerala in 2000, the local communities have welcomed our
business as a good corporate neighbor. We built the plant at the invitation
of the Kerala State Government and today the plant directly employs
141 people and 300 contractors -- who are drawn primarily from neighboring
communities. It is estimated for every direct job in our business, 10
indirect jobs are created as a result of inputs, goods and services
that we buy primarily from local businesses. In addition, nearly 24,000
self-employed people in the state are retailers of our products.
Product Quality in India
In August 2003 India's Ministry of Health & Family Welfare commissioned
accredited Indian laboratories to perform tests on our soft drinks throughout
the country. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare confirmed that
our products in India are safe.
In India, as in the rest of the world, our plants use a multiple barrier
system to remove potential contaminants and unwanted natural substances,
including pesticides. Our products in India are safe and are tested regularly
to ensure they meet rigorous standards. These tests include testing for
pesticides and insecticides.
For more detailed information on product quality and our environmental standards in India (including copies of Government and Independent analysis) please visit the Coca-Cola India web sites.
http://www.coca-colaindia.com
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